


More To Her Than Meets The Eye: An OC x MTMTE/LL Story

by CheshireCatQueen



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Don't be fooled almost everyone will be in this I just got lazy with the tags, Follows the plot, I'll put more tags in later, Multi, Or maybe I won't, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-06 07:20:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17935310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheshireCatQueen/pseuds/CheshireCatQueen
Summary: Nova Impact Generator of Nyon, or as everyone calls her Nova Gen, is a small and kind-sparked femme. She's generally loved by anyone who meets her because of her ability to see the good in everyone and everything. A truly compassionate bot who refuses to kill and only wishes for peace and happiness, you can always find her smiling. Many see her as naive and too trusting, but she ignores their scrutiny and always takes in someone in need with open arms. However, these same qualities also draw the affections of those around her. More often than not, she makes the mechs and femmes she meets fall in love with her without her even knowing. But who is she really? Why is she so nice all the time? How does she know how to fight so well? And what in the name of Primus is in that giant metal box she always has attached to her back?! Follow Nova Gen on her journey as she navigates the twists and turns of the Lost Light and its crew.Basically an OC X EveryoneBe warned this has cursing and sexual acts or references.I do not own anything except any original characters and plots. Please don't sue me.





	1. The Call

**Author's Note:**

> Listen to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJsy_6vO5n8 while reading. And you may notice that I use human anatomical terms instead of the usual mechanical that you find in fanfiction. And while it does bring me great pain to do so, I would like to assure everyone that this is simply because that is what they use in the comics. However, there are things that are specific to Cybertronians and those will be addressed as such. Also, the first artwork you see is my own art. Please don't use it without asking me. You can contact me at https://www.deviantart.com/cheshirecatqueen or https://novagen.tumblr.com/ or https://www.wattpad.com/user/CheshireCatQueen. Enjoy.

I readjusted the casing attached to my shoulder plating and back strut as I walked around aimlessly. A difficult task considering the fact that it's nearly three times my size, both in height and width, and stopping at the small of my back. It wasn't heavy, just awkward to shift around on my white and lilac frame. I looked up and smiled, admiring the beautiful night sky of Cybertron. 

"It's been a long time since I've seen it. Though I do remember there being more light pollution," I noted as I was able to clearly see the stars, "But I guess that's to be expected since there aren't very many big cities anymore."

Saying that out loud caused a bit of sorrow to seep into my spark as it made me think about my home city, Nyon. However, I couldn't help the smile that came to my face as I began remembering all of the good times I had there.  _'As long as I remember them they're never truly gone.'_

Before I could continue my destinationless journey, my audial began to buzz with an incoming transmission. It was my personal frequency, but that didn't narrow down the list of bots it could be since I gave my frequency to anyone who asked for it. I was curious who would be trying to contact me, and I never ignore someone, so I gave the internal command to receive the call.

"Hello?" I asked aloud and I was pleasantly surprised to hear a very familiar voice in response.

***Nova? Hey! It's me, Rodimus!***  His usual upbeat tone rang through the comm.

"Roddy?! It's been so long! How are you?" I couldn't help shifting from one foot to the other in excitement.

***I'm doing pretty good! And you?***  I could practically hear the smile in his voice as he spoke to me.

"I'm great, thanks! So what's up?"

***Well, you see, I'm kinda going on a quest.***  Rodimus seemed to lose his normal confidence and almost sounded a bit shy.

"Oh, really? That sounds cool. What kind of quest?" I decided to sit down and take the load off my back, sitting it down next to me, so I could listen to him better.

***I'm gonna make an announcement in about an hour calling for a crew to join me... I'm gonna find the Knights of Cybertron.***  He still seemed a bit sheepish about explaining himself to me, and I could tell that he was rubbing the back of his neck based on his vocal patterns alone.

"Wow! That so awesome, Roddy!" I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face. 'Leave it to Roddy to shoot for the stars.'

***Yeah!***  For a moment, my reaction seemed to give him a bit of his confidence back, but he quickly lost it the second he started speaking again.  ***And I was wondering... if you would come with me.***

"Hm..." I didn't think about it for more than maybe a second. "Sure! When are you leaving?"

***Wait, seriously!? You'll come with!?***  He seemed genuinely surprised that I agreed despite the fact that he had asked me to join him.  ***But every time I ask you to go somewhere or meet with me you always say you have work and can't make it.***  It honestly broke my spark to hear how sad he was when he said that.

"I'm really sorry about that, Roddy. Also, I kinda quit," I responded softly.

***Really!? That's great! Ahem! I mean... I'm very sorry to hear that.***  I giggled as he tried to correct himself, but even if he hadn't started that out how he did I would have known he didn't mean it. He always hated my job, mainly because it kept us apart. I remembered how he would pout for days every time I told him that I had been denied time off to see him.

"So when and where do I need to be for this quest?" I rested my chin on the palm of my hand as I stared fondly off into the distance.

***Tomorrow! Bright and early! Same place that Ark One took off!***  I could just imagine Rodimus jumping around with that classic big grin of his.

"You got it, Captain Rodimus!"

***And don't be late or Drift and Mags will make me leave without you.***  He said a bit sternly making my smile grow a fraction more.

"Who are they?" I asked hoping that Rodimus had made some more friends. He never seemed to be able to make any strong friendships, though I personally think it's just because he has such a strong and confident personality and it intimidates others. I, however, found it a very endearing quality.

***Sorry, I meant Ultra Magnus. Ya know, Duly Appointed Officer of the Tyrest Accords. The one and only.***  Rodimus seemed to get more annoyed with every word of the title he spoke.

I chucked at his behavior, " Yeah, I know who you're talking about. And the other one? Drift, was it?"

***Yeah!***  Rodimus seemed to instantly light up.  _'So he did make a new friend. Or a possible conjunx. Good for him!'_   ***Drift! He's a really great guy! You'll love him! You're both into inner peace, new paths, and kindness! And he's a total fortune cookie just like you!***  Rodimus was clearly in love with the idea of his two friends getting along, and I was honestly very excited to meet this Drift character.

"I can't wait!" I closed my optics and began daydreaming about what it would be like to be apart of a crew again.

***Just don't be late! I mean it!***  Based on his voice he was more than likely pointing to the air in front of him, as though I were there, with one hand, the other on his hip, and making that face he always does when he wants someone to do something. It was a cute thought really and made me laugh.

"I won't, I promise," I said opening my optics and looking up sincerely as if Rodimus was standing in front of me.

***Then I'll see you tomorrow, Nova.***  Though he said it much less enthusiastically than the rest of our conversation, that didn't make it any less sincere.

"I'll see you then, Roddy." With that, he ended the transmission and I was left in the silence.

I spread out on my back and got comfortable. I closed my eyes and took in the unfamiliar nothingness around me.

.

.

.

"It's too quiet." I shifted and moved so that I was curled up with my back pressed into comforting warmth emanating off of the metal carrier and drifted off into recharge. "I miss them already."


	2. The Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova goes to the launch of the Lost Light and runs into Rung.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's not on Friday like I said. I got busy teaching my girlfriend self dense. Listen to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyAfjUHlFSM&list=PLlixRs3FRM3M05O8wO9QB0CPUUIUUT_lb&index=10 while reading if you'd like. Enjoy.

Despite the fact that I had woken up fairly early so I wouldn't miss the flight there was still a very long line in front of me. I ended up getting there in time to be behind an orange and white bot with spectacles that was only slightly taller than me. He seemed nice just looking at him, but I was pretty sure that my cargo was making him nervous because he kept glancing back at me whenever the line move. I had also noticed that the bot doing security at the entrance was doing the same.

This isn't the first time I've been given weird looks because of the sheer size of the container. The majority of the time they're just surprised that a bot my size can comfortably carry such a huge load. I don't blame them either. I'd be a little shocked if I were them too.

I could tell the curiosity was killing him, and I was pretty sure the fact that I would smile every time he turned to look at me made it easier for him to finally turn around all the way and talk to me. Not to mention my frame is small, round, and flat in most places, so any anxiety that my haul would give others is generally put to rest rather quickly.

"Hello. I'm Rung." The bot, Rung, said while politely waving at me.

"Hi! I'm Nova Impact Generator!" I grinned brightly, happy that he finally felt comfortable to interact with me.

"Oh my." His eyebrows raised at my long name. I chuckled knowing he was probably worried about having to say that every time he wanted to talk to me.

"But please feel free to call me Nova Gen," I offered, making his smile in relief.

"I think I will. So why are you boarding the Lost Light? If you don't mind me asking, that is!" He said this as either a form of politeness or caution.

_'He must still be wary of me. I hope I can change that. He seems really nice.'_

"Oh, I don't mind at all. I'm actually here because the captain wanted me to come."

"You know Rodimus?" His rashness was highly welcomed. It told me that he was becoming more comfortable with me.

"Yeah, we grew up together, but I haven't seen him in person in a long time. And if I'm being honest, I'm a little nervous he's mad at me about it since it was always my fault." I nervously scratched at my cheek.

"To be truthful, Rodimus seems like the type of person to hold a grudge." As he said that his eyebrows pinched together in what I would assume was empathy. However, I couldn't help but shrink a bit in despair, and he seemed to quickly realize this. "But he invited you to come. And Rodimus also seems like the kind of person that wouldn't willingly put himself around someone he doesn't like or is angry with."

Hearing this, and realizing what he said was definitely true, I stood up to my full height again and flashed him a smile. "Thanks, Rung!" For some reason, he seemed actually surprised by what I said, but quickly covered it with a smile of his own.

"No problem at all, Nova Gen." After a moment of comfortable silence, I realized that I hadn't asked him why he was joining the Lost Light too.

"So how come you're here? If you don't mind me asking that is." I joked making him laugh, realizing that I noticed he probably said it more for self-preservation than pleasantries.

"Well, you see I would like to be the ship's psychiatrist."

"Oh! I didn't realize I was talking to a doctor. Impressive." I nudged him with my elbow and a smirk, but he shrugged off my praise with a nervous rub to the back of his neck.

"Not really. So anyway. What is that giant thing you're carrying around?" He pointed to the case behind me.

"Oh, this? Hm... I suppose you could say it's my old job." I replied, looking back at the cargo with him.

"Really?" He raised one of his eyebrows at my words.

"Well, a big part of it." I smiled at his questions.

"What did you used to work as?"

"I was the-"

" **NEXT**!" The security guard cut me off which made me think he had probably tried to get our attention a few times now.

"Sorry," I called to the guard. "I'll talk to you later," I reassured him with a gentle smile and a slight tilt of my head.

Rung simply nodded and proceeded to show the red and white bot his serial code.

"One million! That's an impressive serial code, er..." He seemed to be asking for his name.

"It's Rung. You know me, Red Alert." He honestly seemed kind of offended that he had to remind this Red Alert that he knew him.

"Rung! Of course! Sorry! I didn't recognize you..." Red Alert tried to fix his mistake but only seemed to be making it worse.

"I was your psychiatrist. For six centuries." Rung said to prove his point.

"Never mind that, what's in the crate?" Red Alert pointed to the yellow paint box in Rung's arms that I was a little curious about too.

"Nothing. Just trinkets. I collect model spacecraft. Arks, mainly." Rung then held up one of the mentioned Arks.

"We were at war for four million years. How have you managed to hold onto this stuff?" Red Alert asked in astonishment.

"I guess I have a knack for staying out of harm's-" Just as he was about to finish his sentence, what looked like a purple aircraft came flying between Rung and Red Alert, taking Rung's arm with them, and sending Rung soaring of the entry ramp.

" **RUNG**!!!" I yelled after him. I watched as bots began to pile around Rung. I knew I couldn't do anything to help him, and I could see that his injuries weren't fatal, so I decided not to make thing worse by crowding him and getting in the way of a possible medic.

Somewhere in the mix, Red Alert had jumped into the onlookers leaving the door wide open and unsupervised. I quickly made the decision that since I couldn't help Rung, I would just go look for a medic on board. Surely it won't be that big of a deal that I didn't check in at the door. I was invited by the captain after all.

Plus if Red Alert made me open the box he might not have let me on the ship.

_**ELSEWHERE** _

Rodimus walked back up to the glass to lean on it and look down the decreasingly long line of bots making their way toward the Lost Light for the quest.

"You still looking for him?" Drift came up behind Rodimus and looked down at the line.

"I told you, she's a ' **her** '." Rodimus whipped his head around and pointed at Drift accusingly. "And she'll be here. Do you see her name on the list yet? Maybe we missed her."

"No, I don't. Rodimus, it's almost time for launch. We can't wait for one bot." Ultra Magnus pointed out sternly. "We talked about this, and you agreed that if she didn't show then we would leave without her. No delays."

"She'll be here." Rodimus insisted, not bothering with replying to what his SIC said.

"I don't know, Rodimus. I don't see anyone who fits the description you gave us. **She** may have changed her mind. It **is** going to be a long journey after all." Drift pitched in looking at his friend sympathetically.

"I _**said**_ she'll be here!" Rodimus snapped at Drift before turning his attention back to the window.

.

.

.

"She promised she would." He honestly felt like he might cry if she didn't show. It had been centuries since they had both been able to see each other face to face. But he knew Nova Gen. And he knew that she would never break a promise. He had faith in her. She would come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you liked this chapter of More To Her Than Meets The Eye. Please comment. I love comments. So long as they are not mean and hateful.


	3. The Lost Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova Gen tries to find her way around the Lost Light and thinks about a memory of her and Hot Rod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for once again not posting this on Friday. There was a really big party last night and I couldn't physically make myself finish this before midnight so I gave up. Anyway, you listen to https://youtu.be/cQKGUgOfD8U while reading. Great song. Enjoy.

"Yeah, I'm definitely lost." I finally admitted after roaming around the ship for about half an hour. It just seemed like every turn at the end of a hallway led to an identical hall. To be quite frank, at this point I was certain I was just going in one big circle. Like one of those Earth horror movies that Rodimus had sent me while he was on the organic planet. 

The humans seemed like a pretty nice race if only a bit morbid, and I would like to go to their planet one day. I still remember the first time he ever showed me one of their infamous films. He had just gotten back to Cybertron after visiting the small blue planet for the first time and said he had something "totally rad" to show me. 

These movies were actually how I got introduce to the idea of the female gender.

_~Flashback~_

"There's no way that house is that big." I stared quizzically at the screen while clutching at my energon treats.

"That's why it's scary." Hot Rod spoke lowly with a mischievous look from his spot next to me on the recharge slab. I watched as the human male and female, as he called it, ran through the dark, abandoned house, trying to get away from the big furry monster chasing them.

Eventually, the two organics found a room with a red door and barricaded themselves in there using a storage unit that Hot Rod called a "dresser".

_"I'm so sorry I got us into this, Jason."_  The female began to cry.  _"I never should have brought us here."_

_"It's okay, Elizabeth."_   _'They have some really odd names.'_ The male reached over and hugged her close to him.  _"We'll get through this. Together."_

_"In case we don't make it out of this, there's something I need to tell you."_  The female looked up to the male with red, puffy eyes.  _'I didn't know organics could change color and shape at will.'_

_"Don't say that, Lizzy. We'll get out of this."_

_"Please."_  The female pleaded.  _"Just listen."_

_"Alright."_  The male gave in.

_"Jason, I love you."_

_"I love you too, Elizabeth."_  They then pressed their faces together, connecting their lips, and- it looked like they were doing something with their tongues every once and a while. I leaned closer to try and figure out what they were doing, but I had no idea.

"What are they doing, Roddy?" I looked back over to Hot Rod to see him smirking. For a moment, I thought I saw a shade of energon pink on his face, but it must have been the light from the movie because when I blinked it was gone. He took a second to pause the film before answering me and I perked up to listen to him.

"The humans call it kissing. It's how they show affection. Like a bomp, or touching foreheads."

"So it's something they do with their Conjunx?" I tilted my head in thought

"Not necessarily. I've seen them do it with their Amicas too. It's kinda like how some bots interface with their Amicas."

"Oh." I slouched down again as I began to think about it. Even though he was my Amica Endura, I had never done something so intimate with Hot Rod before. Or anyone for that matter.

"Would you... like to try it?  **Kissing**  I mean!" Hot Rod asked and corrected himself with highly uncharacteristic nervousness. I was a little caught off guard by his question, but I considered it none the less.

"You don't mind?"

"No!" Hot Rod immediately replied. "Not at all! You're my Amica. I  **care**  for you  **deeply**."

"Have you ever...  **kissed**  someone before?" I was curious to know, but I wasn't sure if I was using that word right.

"No, I haven't... But I would like to with you." He seemed a little sheepish that he hadn't done it before. This was the first time I had ever seen him so... unconfident.

"Then sure!" I sat up straight with an excited grin. "Let's do it!" I looked over to the viewing screen again to get another look at what to do.

When I thought I had a good idea of how I needed to go about this I turned back to Hot Rod. I moved to sit on my knees between his open thighs and pressed our flat metal chests together, just like the two humans. "Is this okay?"

He didn't respond verbally, but he did nod his head rapidly. He sat up straight so that he didn't need to lean back on his arms for support. Hot Rod then wrapped his newly freed limbs around my waist, pulling my frame flush with his.

I began to get a bit nervous. I've never been this close to another person before in my entire life. This was apparently something that some people do with their Conjunx after all, and I felt my face start to flush pink.

Since it seemed that Hot Rod had decided to take the position of the male I took that of the female and wrapped my arms around his neck. Hot Rod was the first to move from here and I followed suit.

The first brush of contact my lips had with his startled me and I flinched back. I wasn't sure how Hot Rod was going to react that. I didn't want him to think I wasn't comfortable enough with him as my Amica to be like this. However, his carefree chuckle reassured me.

"Heh. Sorry." I apologized, shifting my gaze away from his eyes.

"Don't be. It's okay. Do you want to try again?" Hot Rod tilted his head and gave me a soft look.

"Yeah. It just surprised me. And I've never seen another Cybertronian do this."

"It's mainly a human thing. Is that okay?" He looked like he was becoming more and more unsure of continuing.

"Of course! It's just different. Which isn't a bad thing! I-" I cut myself off before I could start rambling. "I think I'm ready now."

"Hehe. Alright." Hot Rod pulled me flush with him again. This time when our lips met I was prepared.

It was honestly a bit awkward at first, but after a few tries with different angles, we managed to find a good rhythm. I was sure that I had it down. That is until Hot Rod's lips parted mine and his tongue traced my top lip.

This time I didn't pull away despite my shock. I wasn't confident enough to openly reciprocate, but I did move my own tongue to the edge my lips. Hot Rod then resealed our lips and tangled our tongues together. 

Now I had no clue what I was supposed to do, so I just let my Amica take over the interaction. This isn't unusual for us. Hot Rod has always had the more dominant personality out of the two of us. It's not uncommon for him to take charge of situations when we're together.

The kiss went on for a while and ended up getting very intricate and heated. At some point, Hot Rod had grabbed my thighs and hooked them around his waist so that I was sitting in his lap. I was beginning to wonder if this is how all kisses go, and if this is what human  _friends_  do, then what do human  _lovers_  do?

Then Hot Rod's engine revved. We both instantly let go. I pulled back and slid off of his lap, but kept my legs draped over his. "Sorry."

"It's alright. My fans were about to turn on anyway." I reassured him.

"Well, that makes me feel a little better." He chuckled and leaned forward, placing his forehead on my shoulder. I leaned my head on top of his and we stayed like this for a while in comfortable silence. Hot Rod was the first to break that silence. "Wanna continue watching the movie?"

"Yeah!"

_~Present~_

It was a pleasant memory with my Amica, and it was only later, after watching the other movies Hot Rod sent me, that I found out that human friends do kiss sometimes but not like that. I'm sure Hot Rod didn't know at the time either and must have been too embarrassed to tell me otherwise himself. 

Unfortunately, we haven't had the chance to recreate our bond since Hot Rod was reformed into Rodimus. When Hot Rod merged with the Matrix and became Rodimus all ties he had to anyone were severed. I was hoping that this trip would allow us the chance to become Amica Enduras again.  _'If he still wants to be that is.'_

This time when I turned a corner I decided to start opening doors and hope for the best. The best being Rodimus behind one of them or someone who could lead me to him.

After opening every door down two different hallways, and finding nothing but small storage units, I stumbled upon the hab suites.

"HOW BIG  **IS**  THIS PLACE!?" I yelled in utter surprise and lifted my hands up to my head and rubbed harshly at it. I quickly got bored of walking around and decided to choose one of the rooms, so I could set my stuff down and look for Rodimus faster.

The fifth room I looked into seemed nice and everything was low enough for me to use without any hassle. I sat down so that the bottom of the case was flat on the floor and unhooked it from my shoulders and hips. 

I got back up and stretched out, turning my abdomen left then right, and then rotating my shoulders. Thanks to my body's nature the box and its contents weren't heavy, but the constant weight on my frame did cause some discomfort after a while, and I was in line for a few hours.

I began to hear the quantum engines startup meaning we were about to leave. "I better go find Rodimus before he thinks that he left without me or that I didn't come." 

_**THE BRIDGE** _

Rodimus was now in a very foul mood. He didn't want to deal with Nova Gen going back on her word, and he certainly didn't want to deal with whatever Red Alert was saying Ratchet brought on board. He trusted her. Something he didn't do very often. 

_'The least she could have done was call and make up some half decent excuse for not even showing up. In the past, she would always tell me if she wouldn't be able to see me and why. Ninety percent of the time it was because of her stupid job, but she said she quit.'_ Rodimus didn't even take the time to realize that she wouldn't do something like that to anyone, let alone to him. He was too upset.

"It can wait. It's time we were off," Rodimus said, not even bothering to hide the anger and irritation in his voice.

"I'm sorry your friend didn't come, Rodimus." Drift came up behind the red mech and rested a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Ultra Magnus spoke up before Rodimus could reply.

"Incoming call from  **Bumblebee**. Want to take it?" Rodimus shrugged Drift's hand off of his shoulder without so much as looking at him.

"No." With that Rodmius gave the command to lift off.

**_IN NOVA GEN'S HAB_ **

I felt the ship begin to leave the surface of Cybertron, so I made my way to the door. I pressed the button to open the door when suddenly a huge explosion went off somewhere on the ship not too far from my position. I was propelled to the other side of the hab suite by the sheer force of it. Whenever I hit the back wall I could feel throbbing pain spread throughout my head and into the internal neural network of my brain.

Shadows began to creep into the outer edges of my vision, making everything around me fade into darkness.  _'Well,'_

.

.

.

_'That... can't be... goo~...'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter of More To Her Than Meets The Eye. Please feel free to leave comments.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova Gen tries to make her way around the Lost Light after her comm. is damaged and she finds a familiar face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I had no idea I never posted this chapter yet. You can listen to https://youtu.be/VDvX1hzGZN4 while reading. Enjoy~.

Coming back into consciousness was no small chore. It took a lot more effort than normal just to open my eyes. I groaned as my first attempt at getting up only caused my entire world to spin. I laid back down for a few more seconds before going for round two. Luckily, I won this time around and was able to sit up, although very slowly.

I blinked a few times to chase the blurriness out of my vision. I looked around and noticed that my surroundings were completely unfamiliar. Just as I was about to start panicking, memories of where I was and how I got here flooded back into my mind, along with a throbbing ache that pulsed through my head.  _'Oh, that's right. I got lost on the Lost Light.'_

"Heh. Ironic." I let out a little laugh while I massaged at my temples.

I decided that the best thing to do was to just get it over with quickly and force my body to adjust rather than wait for it. I rolled forward so I was on all fours and quickly launched myself up to my feet.

The rush I got afterward was almost enough to make me collapse, but I've fought through far worse while on the job. However, I did stop moving once I was up, so I wouldn't make it even harder to see straight.

Once my view returned to one picture, I walked past the recharge slabs to the door. About halfway to the door, I checked my chronometer and realized  **just**  how much time had gone by. At this moment, I thought it best that I go ahead and just called Rodimus. I reached up and pressed the button for my comm. unit only to receive static and a spark of electricity that shocked my finger.

"Ow!... Hitting the wall must have damaged it. Oh well, guess I better get moving." With that said I pressed the button next to the door that was supposed to make it open. Supposed to. The monitor next to the door frame lit up and displayed the word,  **LOCKED**. "Huh. That's pretty odd." I attempted to shove my fingers through the seem in the door to pry it open and when that didn't work I just stuck to pulling at the two parts of the door, but it didn't budge. Not even a little bit.

I chose to not think about it too hard seeing as how the strain would probably cause my stressed processing unit to stall. I quietly walked over to the container around the corner of the little hall that separated the doorway from the actual room. I touched my thumb to the tip of my index finger to send a signal to the carrier. When I reached to the side of the carrier a comparatively small panel opened and the suppression staff popped out of its holder and into my grip.

The staff itself was twice my height, but relatively thin so I could still grip it with only a little bit of space between my thumb and fingers. I silently walked back to the locked door, while I messed with the settings on the staff. Suddenly, the energy blade ability turned on and formed into the shape of a war ax.

 _'Sorry for breaking your ship, Roddy, but it's kinda holding me hostage right now.'_  I gripped the ax with both hands and got into the appropriate stance. I swung back and slashed down diagonally at the door holding me prisoner. At first, nothing happened, but after a few seconds, the bottom half of the door fell over with a  _thud_ making an uneven sort of triangle.

I calmly walked back over to the casing and sent the command to remagnetize the staff into the side of the carrier and the panel shut behind it to cover it again.

I then made my way back to the door and stepped onto the pieces on the floor and out into the hallway. I somewhat awkwardly shoved the pieces with my foot into the room.  _'It'll have to do for now.'_

I continued on my search for... actually anything would be fine. I traveled down the winding, endless halls until doors and turns got less and less abundant.

Then, I noticed something that gave me immense relief.  _'Light!'_  I saw an open door, and it had rays of artificial light pouring out of it and into the dim halls.

I picked up the pace and practically ran to the door. My screeching halt caught the attention of the newly familiar bot inside.

"Rung!" I ran up to him. I slid down to my knees on the way and wrapped my arms around one of his legs while nuzzling the side of my head into his outer thigh.

"Nova Gen!? What's wrong?" He exclaimed as he wobbled, trying to keep his balance. "And where have you been?"

"I've been lost!" This made Rung do a double take.

"You've been lost for nearly half a day!?" Rung tried to drop down to my level, probably to comfort me, but I wouldn't let go of his leg, so all he could do was place one of his hands on my shoulder and the other on my head.

"And knocked out. But mostly lost!" I looked up at Rung as a spoke and he seemed to be genuinely shocked and concerned by my confession.

"Wait, knocked out?" At this point, I wasn't completely sure how Rung's eyebrows were still connected to his forehead because of how raised they were.

"Oh!" I perked up. "You're arm!" I looked up and saw that the limb was completely repaired.  _'The medic must be very talented. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it never happened.'_

"Don't worry about that. I'm fine. Why don't you come and sit down, and you can tell me about what happened to you, and where you've been?" Rung pointed to the two chairs in front of his desk with the hand he wasn't petting my head with.

"Alright," I finally let go of Rung's leg and he took a few steps back. As I was about to get up when he held out his hand for me to take, which I gratefully accepted with a bright smile. "Thank you."

"No problem. You may go ahead and pick a seat, while I close the door to give us some privacy," Rung said as he helped me to my feet.

"Ok." I walk over to one of the chairs and sat down, while he went to shut the door. I looked over the small number of things he had on his desk. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of yellow. I turned to find the model Ark he had been holding up outside, but it was broken.

"Oh no." I stood up from my chair and leaned over the desk to get a better look. "Did it break from the fall?" By now, Rung had made it to where I was and leaned over the desk to look at it as well.

"I'm not entirely sure. It is a shame though. It will take some time to fix." The look on Rung's face practically sang with disappointment.

"Alone maybe." I smiled at him.

"What do you mean?" He looked over and raised an eyebrow at me.

"Why don't we fix it while we talk? Together." I suggested with a shrug. A pause ensued followed by Rung returning my smile.

"That sounds lovely. Let me go get my tools real quick. I'll be right back." Rung stood up straight and walked off while I continued to observe the damages.

"Of course." I picked up the Ark and the pieces around it and moved it all to the edge of the table next to our chairs.

"Please, sit." Rung put down a little box next to the model and sat down in his chair. I quickly followed suit.

"Right. So where should we start? I-I haven't made or even fixed very many models before," I nervously admitted while rubbing the back of my neck. "But I can learn fast and follow instructions."

"In that case, let's start with seeing which pieces go where. And while we do that you can tell me what happened between us talking outside and you sliding into my office and attaching yourself to my leg." Rung smirked and raised an eyebrow at his little joke.

"Heh heh. Yeah, sorry about that. Anyway," I proceeded to tell Rung about going to look for a medic and ending up lost in the maze of hallways the ship held. Along the way, Rung would occasionally hand me a tool or a piece and quietly explain what to do before urging me to continue.

I explained how I had found a room where everything was perfect my height and put down my stuff. I saw that he glanced me out of the corner of my eye. I could tell that he wanted to ask me about what was in the box, but he chose not to, so I just continued with my story. I could always tell him later.

Then, I told him that there was an explosion that knocked me back into the room when I tried to leave and the impact knocked me out.

"Are you hurt?" Rung sounded worried as his eyebrows shot up.

"Who me? Oh, I'm fine. Don't worry." I knocked my knuckles against my head to prove my point. "I've got a hard head. Though my comm. did get broken." He raised his hand up to my head, but stop just short of touching me.

"Would you mind if I looked?" He held his hand next to my cheek, clearly not wanting to touch me without my permission. His kindness made me smirk sweetly at him.

"Not at all." I turned my head to the left to show him my damaged unit. He placed his right hand under my chin and his left on the back of my head. He carefully turned me this way and that to get a better look and make sure nothing was too serious. He eventually let me go with a bit of a relieved sigh.

"You seem fine." Rung pulled away and settled back into his chair.

"Thanks, Doc." He chuckled and shook his head side to side.

"I'm not that kind of doctor."

"Could have fooled me!" I flashed Rung a bright and wide closed eye grin making him chuckle more.

"Even so. I think you should get Ratchet to take a look at you when you can."

"Wait!" I quickly leaned forward and placed my hands on his shoulders and pulled him close to my face. "Did you say Ratchet? Ratchet's here? On the Lost Light?"

"Y-yes? I take it you've heard of him?" Rung asked sheepishly and turned his face away from mine a little. I figured he was a little uncomfortable at being this close, so I let him go.

"Heard of him? I know him! He used to be my doctor. Though it has been a couple centuries years, so I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't remember me." I placed my index finger over my chin in thought before turning back to the model to continue working on it.

"You should go talk to him after Rodimus contacts us to say we can leave our rooms."

" **RODDY**!" Rung jumped a little in his seat at my outburst as I shot up straight and clutched at my head. " **How**  could I forget!? I need to see him first. He's probably so worried right now. Or mad. I hope he's not mad."

"I highly doubt he'd be mad that you didn't go see him first thing after stepping on board." Rung placed his hand on my shoulder reassuringly with a little smirk.

"I'm more worried that he doesn't think I'm here. I didn't exactly tell the guy at the door to put my name down before charging into the ship." I sunk into my chair with a guilty look.

"Well, I'm sure he'll understand once you explain what happened. So how did you find my office, anyway?"

We both turned back to the work at hand and continued fixing the model.

"It was an accident really. Once I got out of my room, I just started walking again and I eventually saw the light outside of your door." I shrugged as I reattached the last piece I had. "Alright! How does it look!?"

"Let's take a look." Rung got up and inspected the craft while he walked over to the rest of them. "Like it never happened." He put it on the stand and stepped back to take it all in with his hands on his hips.

.

.

.

"There. Perfect." Then the door was knocked off its hinges and straight into Rung. " **YAHH!** "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and thanks for reading. See you next time.


	5. The Sparkeater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova, Rung, and Skids run from the Sparkeater to the engine rooms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of these days I'll update this on time. I swear. You can listen to https://youtu.be/9DQg6917gvM while reading. Enjoy~.

"Rung!" I ran over to him and pulled him out from under the door and to the furthest side of the room. I looked up to see who had burst through the door. It was a- "Sparkeaters are  **real**!?"

The floating creature suddenly sprang into action and barreled toward us. I let go of Rung and lunged to meet it halfway. I was able to tackle it to the ground and we rolled around a little, somehow ending up next to Rung, who looked like he wanted to help but wasn't sure how. I tried to kick it away, but its tendrils wrapping around my waist stopped me from doing any more damage. I thrashed around and pulled at the tendrils as it held me in the air while it got back up.

When it focused directly on me I felt a sharp pain in my head and the back of my throat. I clinched and clawed at my neck and the invisible force pulling at my insides. The vent above me was popped out of its socket and a red and blue arm reached down and grabbed my hand. "Come here, short stuff!" I grabbed Rung's forearm before I was yanked out of the room and into the vent.

"Thank you for saving us. I'm Nova Gen," I said as a crawled next to our savior.

"No problem. The name's Skids." He smirked at me and winked. I return the friendly expression and noticed he had a small white gun in his hand.  _'Odd.'_

"Yes, thanks. But how did you know that we were in trouble?" Rung pitched in from the other side of Skids.

"The  **terrified**   **screams**  kinda gave it away."

"I didn't realize I was screaming." I cocked my head to the side as I tried to recall said terrified screams.

" **You**  weren't." Skids corrected. "And I don't want to panic you further... but that  **thing**  is right behind us." Rung and I looked back to see that the barely held together being was, in fact, shimmying through the vent after us. We proceeded to keep moving with a little more speed than before when Rung's back buzzed.

"I've got an  **incoming**   **message**..."

I looked over to see him fold out a display screen.

 _*It's_ _ **Rung**_ _, right? Ultra Magnus says you might have a Sparkeater on your tail, in which case I'm_ _ **sorry**.* '_ _I know that voice!'_  I climbed over Skids and peered over Rung's shoulder to look at the screen.

"Roddy!?"

 _*_ ** _Nova_** _!?*_  Rodimus' face suddenly got very large which meant he was probably leaning toward his screen.  _*You're **here**!? I thought you didn't come!*_ He had a huge grin and wide eyes.

"Sorry about that. I'll explain later. Now about that Sparkeater. Please explain." I glanced back and saw that the Sparkeater was gaining on us.

 _*Right! We thought everyone would be safe in their rooms, but it seems the hab suite doors are a lot_ _ **thinner**_ _than the ones down here. The engine rooms have_ _ **reinforced**_ _ **walls**_ _. We think the Neutrals managed to trap the Sparkeater and feed it_ _ **turbofoxes**_ _to keep it docile. Listen, Nova, Rung, I need you to do something for me. I need you to head down here, to the_ _ **engine**_ _ **rooms**_ _, and bring the Sparkeater with you. I'll be waiting. Don't worry. I've got a_ _ **plan**_ _\- and its a_ _ **cracker**_ _.*_ Rodimus then ended the transmission.

"Congratulations! How does it feel to be used as  **bait**?" Skids sarcastically smirked.

"Not good," Rung spoke nervously.

"You think this is bad, then you should have been there when my team used me to draw away a whole squadron of armed Decepticons defenseless and with no weapons."

_~Flashback~_

The five of us peeked over the bunker to observe the twenty or so Decepticons guarding the front, and only, entrance. We all immediately ducked down before we could be spotted.

"Well, this is a predicament. We need to get in there to get our target... But how?" I tapped my chin in contemplation. While I was thinking I got the feeling that I was being watched. I looked up to see my teammates staring at me with smirks on their faces. "... What?"

...

I walked up to the Decepticons with my hands folded behind my back and a friendly and innocent smile. By the time that I got close enough for them to hear me without yelling, I had the full attention of the entire squad. To be quite honest, I was surprised that they hadn't fired upon me already. The biggest one there stepped forward.  _'I guess he's the commanding officer.'_

"Hello! Do you know where I can find the nearest Autobot stronghold? I'm kinda lost." The Decepticons all looked at each other like they couldn't believe what they just heard. 

"... Are you some kind of  **fucking idiot**?" The leader looked down at me and asked as though I had lost my marbles.

"Who me? No no. I'm just an Autobot soldier that got a little turned around." I gave the large bot a closed eye shrug. "Welp! If you don't know, then I best be on my way! Sorry to bother you and have a nice day!" I turned around and started to casually walk away before taking off into a full-on sprint.

" **Kill**  him!" The commander yelled. All of them, including the captain, began to make chase while shooting at me.

" **AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH**!!!" I ran this way and that to avoid being shot while the pack of angry Decepticons ran after me. 

_~Present~_

Luckily, I had managed to lose them by confusing them in the abandoned underground maze of tunnels that were made under the planet's surface for the war. By the time I had circled back around, the other four had already accomplished the mission.

I giggled at the memory. "Yeah. That was pretty intense." 

"I would imagine," Rung replied.

"Sounds like fun. Okay, so the quickest way to the engine rooms... is down the  **elevator**   **shaft**." Skids proceeded to kick the panel in front of us and transformed his left hand into a grappling hook.

"Neat," I said as I examined the limb.

"How come you get a  **grappling**   **hook**  and all I get is a thumb with a  **microphone**  in it?" Rung asked while pointing at said thumb.

"You two are lucky. I just explode," I casually commented, looking at their hands.

 _"_ ** _WHAT!?!_** _"_ They both exclaimed at the same time and turned around to look directly at me with shocked expressions. I immediately realized what I just said and rushed to calm them down.

"D-Don't worry! That function was deactivated a long time ago! I'd need a medic to be able to do that!" I stuttered as I furiously waved my arms in front of me in a 'no' fashion. "But because that was my original function my spark is supercharged, so my body can handle a lot more than a normal bot my size could, so I guess that's pretty cool."

"So that's how you were able to carry that huge...  **thing**  around," Rung stated as though he had solved a mystery.

"Yep!"

"Wow. No wonder our friend is so interested in you two. Speaking of which... it's time we made a move! Climb on!" Skids shot his grapple into the ceiling of the shaft and Rung jumped onto his back. 

I wasn't really sure where to go since Rung was  _just_  big enough to take up the majority of the surface of Skids' back. However, I must have been taking too long for Skids because he turned around to face me mid-air with Rung dangling behind him. "No need to be shy, sweetness!" He then wrapped the arm holding the gun around my waist and pulled me to his chest.

"Woah!" I didn't really feel like falling and shattering a limb or something, so I wrapped my arms around his neck and braced my legs on both of his hips. It was a little hard for my legs to find purchase like this, but I went with it instead of wrapping them around his waist because I didn't want to kick Rung.

We zoomed down to the top of the elevator just in time to not get caught by the creature following us. Rung immediately lost his grip on Skids and hit the elevator with a thud while the arm around my lower back held me securely to him. Skids let go of me when he got his balance and I went to help Rung up after thanking him.

Skids got down on his front and opened the elevator's emergency escape hatch and peered in. "Engine rooms." There must have been someone in there, I couldn't see who, but their voice was unfamiliar.

"What's going on? It's  **Skids** , right? We all thought you were  **de-** " 

" **JUST TAKE US TO THE DAMN ENGINE ROOMS!** " Skids somehow managed to shimmy into the elevator and we followed suit, joining the unknown bot. He was mostly a very light shade of turquoise with a yellow face mask and he was clearly a flyer.

"We need to get moving befo-" I was cut off by the elevator jerking violently from a sudden impact above us. I looked up just in time to witness the Sparkeater rip the top of the elevator open with a level of strength that nobody would think it'd have given its decrepit state.

" **RUN**!" I called to the rest and since I was in front of the elevator doors, I bolted out of them to make way for the others too.

"Go!  **Go**!" Skids yelled while shoving Rung out of the death box. I looked over him and noticed that the other guy was being cornered by the Sparkeater.

"No!" I tried to go back to help but Skids grabbed my arm when I tried to pass him, and he pulled me away from the Sparkeater and flyer.

"Brainstorm's  **trapped**!" Rung exclaimed while crawling out from between the doors.

"Wait! Skids, we can't just  **leave**  him!" I tried to go back to help Brainstorm, but I was off balance and Skids had pretty good leverage over me at the moment.

"I'm sorry... but he's already dead!"

"No, he's  **NOT**! I can still help him!" I continued to struggle until Skids got fed up and lifted me off the ground by my waist and tucked me under his arm. I turned in Skids' hold to see Brainstorm, but the half-open doors blocked him from my vision, so all I could see was that monster looming over him. I felt a tear slip down my cheek, and I bit my bottom lip and looked down at the moving floor below me.

"NO- PLEASE-  **DON'T**!" Was the last thing I heard from Brainstorm before we were out of earshot.

Skids put me down to run on my own once I had stopped struggling. I wiped my tears away just as we turned the last corner to see the open engine room doors. On the other side was-

"Roddy!" I picked up my speed, pushing ahead of both Skids and Rung.

"Nova!" Rodimus held out his arms and I didn't hesitate to jump straight into them and wrap my arms around his neck. We hugged for a very brief moment before we both let go and I sunk down to the floor. "I need you to get behind me and stand back."

"But-"

"Trust me. I have a plan remember?"

"Okay." I wasn't too comfortable with just allowing my closest friend to step between me and an enemy, but he had said that he had a plan.  _'And it isn't the first time Roddy has protected me like this.'_

_~Flashback~_

I could hardly move. It felt like every piece of my metal body was either bent, cracked, or shattered. I was missing my right leg from the knee down and my whole left arm had been ripped straight out of its socket.

My vision was doubled and blurry as I looked back up to see where he was. The one who caused all of this. He was right in front of me and walking straight for me with a sadistic grin. Then he was suddenly blocked from my view by shades of fire. At some point, Hot Rod had gotten up and limped to stand between me and our assailant with his fists held up to continue the battle.

Hot Rod looked to be in just as much pain as me, the only difference being he had all of his limbs.

_~Present~_

"Rung! Over here!" Rodimus called out while he extended his hand to Rung. "I'm sorry. What I'm about to do isn't very  **pleasant**."

It was only then that I noticed the red, white, and very armed bot hiding behind the doorway just before he jumped in front of Skids to point the sword in his grip to his neck. "Hey!" Skids promptly stopped moving and allowed the slightly smaller bot to direct him away from the entrance.

I looked at Rodimus in concern, but he didn't even flinch. He must have known what he was going to do and wasn't worried about him hurting Skids.

When Rung got close enough, Rodimus reached forward and roughly grabbed Rung's forearm. Rodimus yanked him closer so he could give the other arm the same treatment and then  _pulled_. Rung's arms were painfully stretched out and everything else was completely exposed.

"Rodimus,  **please** \- I must  **protest**! You're  **hurting**  me!" Rung didn't dare try to fight back, he might have lost an arm again if he did. 

"Roddy!" I yelled in both shock and concern.

" **Trust**  me!" Rodimus turned his head and looked at me seriously and I instantly backed down. "Can you hear me,  **Perceptor**?" No one in the room answered him so he must have been talking into his comm. "Duly noted and ignored. Now  **get**   **ready**!"

"Roddy?" I called out uncertainly as a watched the Sparkeater get closer.

"Hurry up, ugly- your dinner's getting cold feet," Rodimus smirked while lifting Rung up a little higher to coax the creature nearer.

It took the bait and lunged for the pair of them. Rodimus quickly threw Rung out of the way and clashed with the mechanical beast. " **ACK**!"

I couldn't just stand and watch Rodimus risk his life alone anymore, and I lept into the air. I, however, didn't get very far from my launching point. The sword-wielding mech had silently made his way behind me and was standing there when I moved to help. Because of this, he was able to almost immediately wrap his hand around my neck from behind the second I left the ground. " **Please** , let me go!"

" **Now** , Perceptor!  **NOW**!" Energy began to crackle all throughout the engine room. Rodimus clinched both hands around the creature's neck and spun to face the quantum engines. Using his momentum, Rodimus pushed forward- TOWARD THE ENGINES!

"RODDY,  **NO**!" But it was too late. It was all over in less than a second. The Sparkeater had been completely swallowed by the engine. And Rodimus- 

Rodimus wasn't moving. My escape protocols then activated. I turned in the grounder's grip and hooked my right arm around the back of his elbow and pulled it taut. I then kicked my right leg straight into his hip, effectively ripping myself from his grip.

I ran over to Rodimus, my oldest friend, my  _best_  friend. "RODDY!" I stopped at his side and tried to get a look at his face, but it was hidden by shadows from his head pointing down at the ground. " **Roddy**. Roddy, say something.  **Please**!" 

He suddenly straightened up with a big mischievous grin on his face, "Just kidding!" At first, was a little startled but recovered quickly. I pushed forward and hugged my arms around his waist burying my face into the side of his chest under his arm.

"Good one, Roddy. You almost got me that time." I murmured quietly against his plating. I had completely forgotten about Rodimus' long-standing prank to play dead at the worst possible times.

"My acting's gotten better if I do say so myself," Rodimus stated proudly. I felt him shift a little to look down at me from his position. "I would hug you, but- well, I kinda can't." His position in the engines that is. His arms were merged with the quantum engines up to his elbows.

"Does it hurt?" I let go of Rodimus and stepped back to inspect his wounds.

"Nah. Can't even feel it. A bit uncomfortable though." While looking him over I noticed that one of the monster's tendrils was draped over his shoulder, so I pulled it off. The mech who had stopped Skids and grabbed me chose this moment to step forward and say something.

"Wow. That was just... Wow." He seemed totally amazed by the fact that their plan had worked so well.

"And I thought  **I**  was the risk taker..." Skids chipped in.

I noticed that Rung was rubbing his dented wrists, so I went over to check on him, earning a disappointed whine from Rodimus. "Are you okay, Rung?" I gently touched his upper arms and he held them out for me to see. I carefully shifted them to look for anything serious.

"I should be fine. It just hurts a little." Rung gave a sheepish smirk and shrugged his shoulders. I gave him a closed eye smile and lightly rubbed his forearms with my thumbs.

" **OH**  THE  **PAIN~**! I MUST HAVE BEEN IN SHOCK BEFORE!  **NOVA** , IT HURTS SO  **MUCH**!" Rodimus cried out dramatically as he arched back as far as he could given his current situation. I quickly rushed back over to him and ran one hand up and down his back while the other hovered around his trapped limbs.

" **Don't**  worry, Roddy! A medic will be here  **soon**!" I looked up at my friend's pain-stricken face with worry. "Can someone call Ratchet, please?" I glanced around to the others in the room.

"Sure thing." The unnamed bot chuckled.

"There now just focus on keeping your pain receptors turned off." I moved my hovering hand up to his shoulder and soothed my thumb over the red plating.

.

.

.

"Smooth, Rodimus. Smooth." I heard Skids whisper under his breath. I would have told him how it wasn't nice to antagonize someone for their plan not ending well, but I was too focused on the red speedster in front of me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked this chapter. See you next time.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope that everyone liked chapter 1 and will stay tuned for the rest to come. I will be posting one every week on Fridays sometime before midnight. Or at least try to.


End file.
